The present invention relates generally to fuel dispensers and, more particularly, to fuel dispensers and systems capable of communicating with various types of transponders and detecting their movement within and throughout a fueling environment.
In recent years, traditional gasoline pumps and service stations have evolved into elaborate point-of-sale (POS) devices having sophisticated control electronics and user interfaces with large displays and touch-pads or screens. The dispensers include various types of payment means, such as card readers and cash acceptors, to expedite and further enhance fueling transactions. A customer is not limited to the purchase of fuel at the dispenser. More recent dispensers allow the customer to purchase services, such as car washes, and goods, such as fast food or convenience store products at the dispenser. Once purchased, the customer need only pick up the goods and services at the station store or the outlet of a vending machine.
Remote transaction systems have evolved wherein the fuel dispenser is adapted to communicate with various types of remote communication devices, such as transponders, to provide various types of identification and information to the fuel dispenser automatically. Given the sophistication of these transaction systems and the numerous choices provided to the customer at the dispenser, conducting transactions with transponders will be useful to allow the dispenser and fuel station store to monitor the movement of a person carrying a transponder and a vehicle having a transponder, enhance transaction and marketing efficiencies, and improve safety in the fueling environment.
The present invention relates to providing refunds and loyalty points or other related benefits to cash customers carrying remote communications units or transponders adapted to communicate with a fueling system during a retail transaction. Traditionally, service stations were not able to monitor cash transactions or cash customers for merchandising efforts or to provide these customers with benefits that were provided to the various card carrying customers. The card customers inherently provided the service station operators with information to determine what types of purchasing activities specific customers had in addition to providing the customer with various benefits based on prior purchases and transactions. The current system tracks purchases of cash customers and provides a benefit based on such purchases.
Additionally, the emergence of cash acceptors to enable cash customers to pay at the dispenser in order to expedite the fueling transaction has run into several challenges. One difficulty in using cash acceptors is providing the customer proper change when the amount of the fuel or products purchased differs from the cash amount tendered. It is not economical at this point to include a change machine at each fueling position of each dispenser. Another difficulty is that requiring a customer to enter the store to receive his or her cash refund or change defeats the purpose of having a cash acceptor at the dispenser.
The present invention provides a solution to these problems by keeping track of cash customers and their respective refunds and loyalty points using transponder technology. Basically, a cash customer either carries a transponder or has a transponder mounted on their vehicle wherein the transponder is used to associate any refunds or loyalty benefits with the otherwise invisible cash customer. The operator can monitor the cash customer via the transponder. The customer may use the cash acceptor of the fuel dispenser and receive any change as credit with the transponder. The transponder may simply provide an ID where the central control system or a remote host network keeps track of the refund for later credit. Alternatively, the refund amount or credit may be transmitted directly to and stored on the transponder. In either embodiment, the amount stored in association with the transponder may be used as a credit during a subsequent feeling or retail purchase transaction.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a fuel dispensing system for enhancing cash transactions wherein the system includes a fuel dispenser associated with a control system and a receiver adapted to receive signals including identification indicia from a remote communications unit associated with the customer. The receiver operates m conjunction with the control system to retrieve the identification indicia from the remote communications unit. A cash transaction indicator is provided in association with the control system and adapted to signal the control system that a cash transaction is taking place. The control system will provide customer related information associated with the identification indicia when a cash transaction is indicated. The system may also include a transmitter associated with the control system and adapted to transmit the customer related information to the remote communications unit associated with the customer. Alternatively, the control system may include memory for storing the customer related information in association with the identification indicia. The related information may correspond directly to customer change resulting from a cash transaction wherein the change is determined by the control system during the transaction.
In addition to storing credit for change based on a cash transaction, loyalty points may be provided and stored on or in association with the transponder. Preferably, the cash transaction indicator is located at the dispenser and is selectable by the customer at the beginning of the transaction. The cash transaction indicator may also be activated by an operator of the system upon determining the customer is using cash for the transaction. Typically, the cash transaction indicator resulting from an operator input is located at a terminal within the fuel station store.
Another aspect of the present invention is a fuel dispenser system providing a customer input device, display and interrogator associated with a dispenser control system. The customer input device and display are adapted to provide a customer interface. The interrogator is adapted to communicate with a remote communications unit associated with the customer. The customer interface is adapted to provide a cash transaction input for the customer to select a cash transaction. The control system is adapted to operate in conjunction with a remote control system to provide customer information associated with the remote communications unit when a cash transaction is selected. The customer information may relate to change due a customer as a result of a cash transaction and/or loyalty benefits based on a cash transaction. The customer information may be stored on the remote communications unit or in association with a remote communications unit identifier in a database accessible by the control system. The control system may include a dispenser controller, central site controller, remote network control system, or any combination thereof.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered with the drawings.